Police paid journalists before the release of Dampare’s secret tape — Adom-Otchere alleges
Seasoned journalist and host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, Paul Adom-Otchere has alleged that the Police administration met some journalists and paid them to boost the leaked audio revealing a supposed grand scheme to sack and replace the Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare.
He claims he has evidence of money paid to the journalists when they were met at the police headquarters by the Director of Finance of the Police in respect of publications about the leaked tape.
Reports by MyNewsgh indicated that some journalists whose list he claims to have obtained were met by the police before the break of the leaked tape and paid to push it.
He said: “I have the list of journalists and the amount paid to each of them and will be pushing it to the Ghana Journalists Association.”
He further alleged that there is tension within the police service as a result of the divisive leadership qualities of the IGP.
A leaked audio making the rounds has a Police Commissioner who identified himself as Mensa and a politician, who also describes himself as a former Northern regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), plotting the removal of Dr. Dampare because he is too firm and will not allow the 2024 election to be rigged.
In the leaked audio, which was shared by GHone TV on its Twitter page, the Police Commissioner who is said to be retiring is heard in the leaked audio telling the politician that the NPP should forget winning the next general elections if the current IGP remains in office.
To convince the politician, Commissioner Mensa cited the rigorousness of the security the IGP provided during the recent Assin North by-election, saying he will do the same or even more, which might foil any attempt by the NPP to steal victory in the 2024 election.
Meanwhile, Martin Amidu, the former Special Prosecutor, has said the secret tape is “authentic and not fake.”
Amidu in a statement confirmed the validity of the leaked 50-minute recording, recognizing the voice of one of the individuals involved, whom he previously represented as a client during his time as a lawyer in the Northern Region.
He stated that he has personally been in the Accra office of the person in question and witnessed their tendency to receive phone calls during serious discussions, which he believes could explain the presence of a recording.
